Caesar IV
Review
Proves to be a more than worthy addition to the series
by Hawkes
reviewed on PC
Interface
The advisor’s panel is part of a well-considered user interface, which gives the player quick access to all the functions required to build the city. This interface has become a signature element in the Caesar series and this version of the game offers several improvements over the ones that have come before. To name one, Caesar III had a four-position rotating view of the city. No matter what direction one viewed, all the buildings looked exactly the same. In this version one gets a full 360-degree view of all the structures; front, back and sides.
Overlays can be toggled off and on and each shows specific qualities of the city such as high-crime threat areas, the reach of your water system and what areas are dangerously close to collapse (due to a shortage of building engineers, a historically accurate feature). The many structures are selected by a one-click set of fly-out menus, as with past versions, only there are many more options from which to choose.
Improvements
All the things I wished for in a modern day version of Caesar III have been provided in Caesar IV. For example, farming is more varied and have a more realistic look and feel. Citizens were rather large in comparison to the structures in previous versions of the game and this too has been changed to my satisfaction. The full circular view of the buildings gives the city a different look depending on the angle. This feature has been added with remarkable success, giving the game a look reminiscent of an oil painting (in 3D). The need to have living areas in proximity to work areas has been dispensed with, making it easier to design a city with the actual look and feel of a real Roman city.
The lag time when the game is paused between when something is intentionally erased from the map and when it disappears, something that annoyed me to no end with Caesar III, has mercifully been changed to an immediate result. This allows for quicker building in pause mode.
Finally, the variety of goods that can be produced has been increased to a more realistic amount beyond the handful that its predecessor offered. This makes the game a bit more complicated but, at the same time, less simplistic and adds a layer of reality that makes the challenge more palpable.
Simply wonderful
All in all this re-working of a wonderful game has made it more enjoyable, more relaxing and more challenging without unnecessary difficulty being arbitrarily added. For me, it has made one of my favorite ways to pass a few hours even more entertaining and pleasing, especially to the aesthetic senses. The tried and true features of the traditional game have been faithfully kept and many functional improvements have been added.
The end result can only inspire praise from me to the folks at Tilted Mill and Sierra On-Line. Even if you have never tried a city building game before, this one will captivate you. If you have played the Caesar line you simply must continue your quest for advancement with this new installation of a long-running career of conquest. You won’t be disappointed. How hooked? VERY!
9.0
fun score
No Pros and Cons at this time
